Conventional self-propelled cotton harvesters include a frame mounted on a front pair of drive wheels. A pair of steerable rear wheels provide the harvester with proper direction. Mounted in a cantilevered fashion to the front or forward end of the cotton harvester are two or more harvesting units.
Each harvesting unit typically includes a housing which encloses two rotatably driven picker rotors, a doffer assembly, and a picker spindle moistening assembly. Each picker rotor has numerous circularly driven picker bars provided thereon. Each picker bar mounts a plurality of rotatably driven, radially extending picker spindles for removing cotton from a plant. The doffer assembly includes a column of doffer pads which are positioned to remove the cotton from the picker spindles. Similarly, the moistener assembly includes a column of moistening pads arranged to add moistening fluid to the cotton picker spindles before they are introduced to the cotton plants.
Although considerable design effort has resulted in reducing both the size and weight of the harvesting units, the purpose and required operation of such unit dictates a relatively large size mechanism of considerable weight.
As will be readily understood, mounting of two or more such units toward the front end of the frame of the cotton harvesting machine shifts the center of gravity away from the rear wheels toward the front end of the machine. To allow the rear steering wheels of the cotton harvester to remain in contact with the surface over which the machine is driven, it is known to add weights or ballast toward the rear end of the machine in a manner counterbalancing the weight of the harvesting units at the front end of the cotton harvester.
As additional harvesting units are added to the front end of the machine to increase productivity, the center of gravity and overall load distribution of the machine shifts closer to the front wheels. As such, the front axle weight is increased significantly. As will be apparent, such additional weight on the front axle requires additional weights or ballast to offset or counteract the weight distribution of the machine. Such additional weight, however, adds structural problems to the frame. Front tire problems also increase. Furthermore, the mobility of the harvesting unit is severely restricted in soft or muddy fields
Each cotton harvesting unit defines a plant passage through which the cotton plant passes during cotton harvesting. To enhance "nesting" of the harvesting units relative to each other, the two picker rotors of each harvesting unit are preferably disposed on opposite sides of the plant passage When a forward picker rotor of the harvesting unit is disposed to the left side of the plant passage, as viewed from the front of the machine, the harvesting unit is generally categorized as being "left handed". When a forward picker rotor of the harvesting unit is disposed to the right side of the plant passage, as viewed from the front of the machine, the harvesting unit is generally categorized as being "right handed".
Older cotton harvesting machines commonly have one or more left handed harvesting units arranged in axial alignment with one or more right handed harvesting units. To effect narrow cotton row harvesting, and as may be appreciated, such harvesting units are disposed closely adjacent one another in a side-by-side relationship. The close proximity of the harvesting units relative to each other hampers accessibility to the component structure of each harvesting unit. To outfit these older machines with newer harvesting units, to facilitate nesting of such units, is an expensive conversion option.